Becoming Grassfed Day 46: Lazy Sundays & Adventure Hikes

11/20/16

San Ignacio, Belize

There’s something about Sunday mornings that is so serene and peaceful, especially in the middle of the jungle. Now I know the jungle doesn’t care what day it is, but I usually don’t have plans on Sundays so they consist of food, sleep, working on my computer, and going on hikes…so I get my fair share of jungle time.

I woke up a few minutes before my 5 o’ clock alarm and got my computer turned on to write yesterday’s blog, last night was fun at Kirtan but by the time I got back I was in no condition to write. The room I am in has screens covered with curtains around the top of the walls, so it is an open-air environment. Little by little as 5 turns into 5:30 and the light begins to fill the dawn sky, the birds awaken and the sound is unimaginable. Some mornings it is easy to get up and enjoy this, so I make sure not to eat too much and get in bed at a decent so alarm clock can be an early morning music show.

I went for a hike, enjoyed the birds, saw beautiful trees, and got back down to the kitchen in time to juice some lemons into a pitcher of water. One of the major things that has been different than life at home is my morning routines, I am usually pretty ritualistic about juicing a lemon into warm water every morning for what I call A.M.B.M.A (AM Bowel Movement Activation). Lemons help detoxify, provide energy & vitamin C, and maintain alkalinity in the body. Mary has lemon trees so as much as I can, I get some from her orchard but I haven’t been remembering to pick them enough.Limes have a similar effect but don’t quite do it for me.

I made a pact with the chefs to not allow me to eat any bread or anything fried starting tomorrow. I haven’t been eating bad, but I have the tendency to grab some traditional food if they have extras in the kitchen…this is something that I know I shouldn’t be eating but I won’t have the opportunity to eat anymore after I leave so I indulge. That all ends today, I have been eating far too much food and I can notice by how sluggish I feel and how hard it is to get out of bed in the morning. I had some Johnny Cakes(biscuits) with eggs, beans, tomato sauce, and watermelon. This is a traditional Belizean meal, super delicious, but super not ideal for my health situation.

After breakfast I got a little work done, I got an email from Kehana and Nick from yesterday saying that they would be over around 12/1ish to go for an adventure. I had a little bit of time and had already been up for 5 hours so I took a nap to make sure that I had the energy to hike all the way through town to Cahal Pech. I woke up around 12:30 to see if they were here and to have lunch, they hadn’t shown up yet. I know you are thinking, “Pick up the phone and call them, doofus” well neither of us have a Belize phone so communication is through e-mail or text(decently unreliable, must have wifi).

I went for another hike and waited for them a little longer, went back to my room to watch some lectures, and passed out again. This time I woke up around 4:15 and felt like I wasted the day. I am struggling to find the equilibrium between working my ass off and getting enough rest. Sundays are usually my one full day to chill and not worry about being anywhere, so it was a bit of a relief when I saw their e-mail saying that they went into town to stay at a new place. We plan to meet up tomorrow.

The evening was rather uneventful, A little laundry, a little relaxing, another adventure hike and a nice Belizean dinner. Garnaches, Tostones, tacos, and empanadas(I am probably incorrect with the spellings) freshly made by Rey and Ms. Gladis. I made sure they knew that after this meal, I am done with veering off of my path of health. I am a huge comfort eater so if I get any bit homesick or bored, I find a reason to eat. I make sure I practice what I preach, this is why Grassfed is not completely vegan or focus on a 100% clean diet, if every once and a while you want to eat something a little fried or not completely Grassfed, DO IT. The #1 most important thing is to be happy, and if eating something is going to make you happy and it is not a healthy food, simply understand the impact that meal will have on your digestion, energy levels, and the rest of your body.

You can always detox and always fast, but the idea is to be educated to the point where willpower overcomes the temptation to eat these not so healthy things. I can always feel how bad I have eaten the next morning, If it is something with a lot of sugar, something fried, or especially something with a little dairy in it… I feel hungover and like I am being punched in the stomach. That is the biggest sign of lack of clean food intake, but it takes a while of clean eating to create that notification center.

The evening was finished off by hanging out with Rey, Jose, and Carlos. These guys have become some of my best friends in just a month of being here, we are planning a trip for them to come to the States. They have shown me the best of their country, now it is my turn to show them the adventures of the US.

Tomorrow is the start of a new week, a chance to reset and set goals for the next 7 days. Over the next 7 days I will get back on the path of Becoming Grassfed, no more bread and no more unnecessary sugar. I expected to have a much cleaner lifestyle when I came to Belize but there is much more opportunity to slack on clean eating when the kitchen is constantly pumping out these delicious native dishes. I had a few weeks to try what I wanted, now it is time to get serious and clean my body, constantly feed it the correct foods, and achieve the unimaginable.